At ceremonies held on field 4 at Eisenhower Park yesterday, County Executive Thomas R. Suozzi dedicated a new wheelchair softball field. The first of its kind in Nassau County, the field is the home field for the Nassau County Aviators, a wheelchair softball team established in 2004. Executive Suozzi presented a proclamation to team captains Dan Wallace, Anthony (Fitz) Fitzgerald, and Russ Schmid and threw out the first pitch at the Aviators' inaugural game against the top wheelchair softball team in the area --- the United Spinal Mets. Unfortunately the Aviators lost to the Mets 5-4.

"This field is a shining example of Nassau County's support of adaptive sports and the people with disabilities who will utilize it," said Anthony Fitzgerald. "We are very grateful to Executive Suozzi and Don Dreyer (Director, Nassau County Office for the Physically Disabled) for helping realize the Aviators' 'field of dreams' and that the dedication comes during the week of the 16th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act --- it just couldn't be more symbolic."

Prior to starting the Aviators, Mr. Fitzgerald was a member of the United Spinal Mets (Major League Champs in 2000 and winners of the Division 2 national title in 2004) for over five years. He started the Aviators in 2004 in order to reach out to local Nassau County players of all skill levels who wanted to enjoy wheelchair softball. The goal of the team is to expand recreational opportunities for people with mobility disabilities of varied skill levels. "We emphasize teamwork, camaraderie, exercise, competition, and skill improvement," says Fitzgerald, who is affectionately known as 'Fitzi' by his teammates. The team is named in memory of the men, women, and the Nassau County companies who built the planes that helped to secure victory during WWII. The team's jersey proudly displays a patch of the Grumman F6 Hellcat on the left sleeve.

For more information about the Nassau County Aviators, please contact Anthony Fitzgerald at 488-6284.

Wheelchair softball is played under the official rules of 16-inch slow pitch softball as approved by the Amateur Softball Association of America with 15 exceptions that are geared toward the wheelchair user. Players compete on hard surfaces, such as a parking lot, instead of the normal grassy infield, and use a 16-inch softball, which allows wheelchair players to keep one hand on the wheelchair while catching the softball without a glove. For more information about wheelchair softball, please contact Victor Calise, Director of Sports Marketing at United Spinal Association ---vcalise@unitedspinal.org or 718-803-3782, ext. 1274.